THE YOUNG PRINCE HAMED. HOW GOOD COULD HE BE?

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We tend to think the most interesting part about a championship-boxer training his son, is seeing the new direction the youngster goes with the same knowledge and similar genetic ability. While the 5’4″ Prince Naseem fought mostly at Featherweight his son Aadam, who looks to be a lean 5’10”, might start his career as a Super-Lightweight before possibly packing on some pounds. How would a boxer trained by Prince Naseem fare in the current Super-Lightweight division against the best Brits like Lewis Ritson, Jack Catterall, and Josh Taylor? Let’s hope we get to find out.

Footage of Aadam Hamed, son of legend Prince Naseem, hit Instagram this week, with the youngster showing off some sharp skills on the focus pads and speed bag. The ‘Young Prince’ shows great punch rhythm, understandably not near his Dad’s level yet, but very respectable for a 20-year-old who is neither an amateur nor pro boxer.

His focus-mitt works show off his footwork and balance which are equally impressive, although his trainer is doing the ‘showboating mitts’ as I call them, so take his speed with a pinch of salt. ‘Showboating mitts’ are when the trainer meets the boxers punch about 50% of the way in, which exaggerates his hand speed as he’s throwing each shot less distance. It’s common during open workouts when the boxers want to look as impressive as possible, as well as Instagram boxing videos like this one, but not during true boxing workouts which focus on good form.

While real pad work is not nearly as fast, with the trainer extending the mitt just enough to counteract the boxers punch impact, Aadam Hamed definitely has some fast hands regardless. It will be extremely interesting to see if Hamed Jr. does officially follow in his father’s footsteps, considering Prince Naseem was dead set against it just a few years ago.

In 2015 Prince Naseem, real name Naseem Hamed, said “I don’t want my kids to fight… I wanted to knock someone out cold. If you ruffled those feathers, I really wanted to knock someone out. Why would I want a guy with that same intention standing opposite my son?”

It’s a sentiment many boxers and contact sportsmen and women share, opting to lead their kids away from the same tough upbringing they chose for themselves, but as is equally common, it looks like sports pedigree might have chosen the middle Hamed. Rumours are circulating that he’s thinking of making his boxing debut and with the kind of once in a generation insight he’d have in his corner, the lad would be hard-pressed not to do alright.

Probably the most valuable attribute for a boxer, behind the sheer determination to make it work, is a knowledgeable trainer and team. The famous gyms like ‘Kronk’ and ‘Gleason’ attract people from all over the world for a reason, the champions trained by those gyms are a testament to the knowledge and expertise of the trainers. If Aadam Naseem does choose to go pro, with his Dad in his corner, he’d be benefitting from a level of boxing insight unmatched by almost anyone in the world. As the adage goes, “those who can, do, those who can’t, teach”, with a trainer who most definitely ‘did’ and is now choosing to teach only one boxer, his son, it’s a huge advantage.

It’s easy to go into this situation looking to draw comparisons between the two, questioning whether the son will be able to match the incredibly lofty accomplishments of his father. It’s the same thing we all did with Chris Eubank Jr or Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, but it’s better to look at this more simply for what it is, as the possible continuation of a great boxing legacy.

While Aadam Hamed turning pro is a truly exciting prospect, undue pressure on him to emulate his father’s brazen antics and 36-1 record, would just take away from the creation of his own unique story.